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Women, a lack of female toilets, and the aftermath of the Herat earthquake
Laila Mandgar* wrote this report for the Zan Times, translated to English by Rustam Seerat
Twenty-four-year-old Zahra* was still recovering from hemorrhoid surgery when the first earthquake hit Herat province on October 7, 2023. Her family of six spent three weeks living in a tent after part of their house collapsed in the disaster. The situation was even worse for Zahra, whose health was still fragile six months after surgery, because their area of Herat had only one functioning public restroom. So many homes were damaged that dozens of people lined up daily to use it.
Zahra quickly found herself stressed while needing to use the public washroom during the day and at night due to harassment by men and overcrowding. Sometimes, after standing in a line for hours, she found herself unable to use the toilet. One night, after a night of being unable to relieve herself, she suffered from severe constipation, which resulted in bleeding and infection. “I already had hemorrhoids. Constipation made me curl up in pain and unable to sit on the ground,” Zahra recounts to Zan Times.
Intense pain forced Zahra to go to the restroom at midnight. She was on the way with her 15-year-old sister when three young men crossed…
